Legislative Preview 2005

First Session, 122nd Legislature

There are many opportunities in the Maine Legislature to move forward Maine Audubon’s conservation agenda. Among our priorities are putting a significant bond on the ballot to replenish the Land for Maine’s Future Program, ensuring that the state’s natural-resources agencies are funded adequately, and supporting efforts to protect critical wildlife habitat.

Maine Audubon Supports:

Land for Maine’s Future Program

LD 800, An Act To Authorize A General Fund Bond Issue for the Land for Maine's Future Program, Sen. Mary Andrews. Places a bond on a statewide ballot that would allow Maine’s voters to approve spending $75 million over four years to fund the Land for Maine’s Future Program. In January 2004, this popular and effective program committed the last of its funding to conservation projects statewide.

Stormwater Rules

Maine’s Legislature has the opportunity to improve rules that regulate the quality and quantity of stormwater run-off from development, with the goal of protecting all of Maine’s waters equally to address unintended consequence of sprawl.

Wetlands and Wildlife Habitat

LD 1160, An Act To Increase Wetland Protection, Rep. Ted Koffman. Requires Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection, when reviewing applications for activities that will impact small wetlands, to more thoroughly track and review activitiesconsider other impacts that have occurred to the wetland in the past year and evaluate the application according to all Natural Resources Protection Act standards. In addition, DEP will develop a wetlands compensation program for small wetlands and evaluate the exemptions allowed under wetlands protection. that potentially have a cumulative nNegative impacts on small wetlands and threaten the local extinction of turtles and small birds and mammals that depend on wetland habitat.

LD 193, An Act To Strengthen Wildlife Habitat Protection and LD 261, An Act Concerning Significant Wildlife Habitat and Wetlands of Special Significance, Rep. Ted Koffman. Brings the state closer to adequately protecting significant wildlife habitats—including wading bird and waterfowl habitat; shorebird nesting, feeding, and staging areas; and significant vernal pools—by eliminating a mapping requirement that inadvertently obstructs protection of these important habitats.

Natural-Resource Agencies

LR 1046LD 1142, An Act To Improve the Efficiency and Effectiveness of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and LR 1870, Resolve, To Increase the Efficiency and Effectiveness of DIFW, Rep. Thom Watson. Would implement the recommendations that followed a comprehensive, independent review of DIFW programs in 2003assessment of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife conducted in 2003.

Funding the Department of Conservation and Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Maine Audubon is working closely with Governor Baldacci’s administration, legislators, and others to address the long-term financial needs of these agencies charged with the protection of Maine’s natural resources and wildlife. Their work is a tremendous economic contribution to the state and must be funded as such.

Growth Management

LR 1912, An Act to Assist Towns with the Implementation of the Growth Management Act, Sen. Beth Edmonds. Provides a statewide and an optional local fund to help towns implement Maine’s Growth Management Act and prevent sprawl by implementing comprehensive plans, open space and waterfront access protection, affordable housing initiatives, historic preservation and downtown revitalization.

LD 577, An Act to Amend the Laws Governing Rate-of-Growth Ordinances, Sen. Lynn Bromley. Implements requirements for towns to direct growth towards designated growth areas and away from designated rural areas, to help preserve natural areas including wildlife habitat and preserve a town’s character

Action on Climate Change

As a member of Maine’s Climate Change Coalition, Maine Audubon supports six bills before the legislature that can help reduce polluting gas-emissions that contribute to global warming. Global warming is causing sea level to rise at a faster rate than in the past, threatening wildlife habitat by eroding Maine’s rare sand beaches, coastal bluffs, cliffs, and salt marshes.

LR 1179, Minimum Efficiency Standards for Commercial Appliances
LD 397, Natural Gas Conservation Program
LR 763, Solar Tax Incentive Package
Resolve, Cleaner Cars Sales Goals
LR 2244 Housing/Weatherization Bond
Resolve, Building Codes

Eliminating Mercury in the Environment

New scientific findings show mercury pollution in Maine is broader than previously known and extends beyond aquatic habitats to forest wildlife. Several bills Maine Audubon supports aim at reducing the use of mercury in products and its release into the waste stream and Maine’s air and water.

LD 185, An Act to Amend the Law on Mercury-added Products, (DEP bill) Rep. Ted Koffman.
LR 1096, An Act to Ban the Sale of Toys and Novelties Containing Mercury, Rep. Marilyn Canavan.
LR 1730, An Act to Ban the Sale of Items Containing Mercury and LR 1731, An Act to Require a Disposal Fee for Batteries Containing Mercury, Rep. Philip Cressey, Jr.
LR 863, An Act to Limit Human Exposure to Mercury, Sen. Dennis Damon.
LR 230, An Act to Protect the Public from Mercury Poisoning, Rep. John Eder.
LD 854LR 773, An Act to Ban the Distribution of Products that Contain Mercury Batteries and are Designed for Children, Rep. Elaine Makas.
LD 1058, An Act to Regulate the Use of Batteries Containing Mercury, Sen. Scott Cowger

Stormwater Rules

Maine’s Legislature has the opportunity to improve rules that regulate the quality and quantity of stormwater run-off from development, with the goal of protecting all of Maine’s waters equally to address unintended consequence of sprawl.

Maine Audubon Opposes:

Timber Harvesting in State Parks

Although Maine Audubon strongly supports adequate funding for the Department of Conservation, we are concerned that locating demonstration forests on state park land has been proposed to generate revenue. For a variety of reasons, the value of and need for unharvested areas as demonstration forests is greater than the need for harvested demonstration forests.

Also potentially detrimental to Maine’s wildlife are the following bills:

LD 567, An Act to Require Legislative Approval for the State to Accept a Gift of 100 Acres or More of Land, Sen. Paul Davis.
LR 272, An Act to Fight Sprawl and Ensure that Public Lands are Equitably Distributed, Rep. Henry Joy.
LD 72, An Act to Promote Sound Science in Climate Change Policy, Rep. Henry Joy.
LD 286, An Act to Eliminate the State Planning Office, Rep. Henry Joy.
LR 978, An Act to Prohibit Expenditures to Implement Treaties Not Ratified by the United States Senate, Rep. Henry Joy.
LR 979, An Act to Limit the Use of State Funds to Purchase Land or Conservation Easements, Rep. Henry Joy.
LD 73, An Act to Prohibit the Federal Government from Owning Property in the State Not Specifically Authorized in the United States Constitution, Rep. Henry Joy.
LD 562, An Act to Improve Public Understanding in Rulemaking, Rep. Tom Saviello.
LD 668, An Act to Amend the Land Use Regulation Laws, Rep. Henry Joy